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Concerned citizens’ group voices concerns over school district future building plans
Parents and community members urge the Mt. Pleasant school board to address academic performance, transparency, and school closures amid growing concerns over district decisions.
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MT. PLEASANT — Among a room packed with people, members of MPCSD Citizens for Change, a group of concerned parents and community members, addressed the Mt. Pleasant Community School District (MPCSD) board on Monday, raising concerns about academic performance, transparency, school closures, and teacher retention.
During the 15-minute presentation, representatives Kurt Schinstock and Scott Fedler outlined the group’s issues, emphasizing the need for improved educational outcomes, a reassessment of infrastructure projects, and more transparent decision-making.
The group came together to gather information and present it to not only the board, but the public, as well in light of current discussions to close elementary schools in the district in favor of a centralized location on the former Iowa Wesleyan University Central Campus.
The group pointed to data from the Iowa Department of Education indicating that while Salem Elementary boasts the highest index score among state elementary schools, both the district’s middle and high schools fall below the state average.
“Our elementaries are performing adequately [in] the state,” a speaker said. “Currently, Salem has the highest index score … and I just want to say a great job to Salem. Everyone should be very, very happy about that.” However, the middle school and high school “are below the state average.”
A major point of contention was what the group described as a lack of transparency in district decision-making.
“We felt like there's been a lot of things done that have not been public voices, which is a concern,” Fedler stated.
In reference to this point, Fedler mentioned the district’s decision to spend $65,000 on a consulting firm to develop a facilities plan, stating, “The overall MPCSD needs should have been evaluated and brought to the community to ask for input prior to spending” the funds.
The group also raised concerns about a May 23, 2024, closed-session meeting in which the district reportedly moved forward with purchasing buildings from Iowa Wesleyan University.
“This happened at a closed meeting … we believe this should have been brought to the public.” Schinstock said. “In my opinion, this shows the district isn’t keeping the taxpayers informed of what can be done.”
Schinstock further discussed MPCSD enrollment which he stated has been in steady decline since 2018, while neighboring districts have seen growth.
“There's no reason. They haven’t done anything drastically different. They're just more sought after, the smaller schools, in my opinion,” Schinstock stated. “I don't know [the] true data on why, but it does show maybe we should be looking into why.”
The group stressed the importance of retaining qualified educators, citing data showing the cost of teacher turnover at approximately $11,860 per teacher.
“Every time we retain a teacher, every time a teacher [stays], that is a very good thing for our students,” Fedler said.
According to district data presented by the group, retention rates vary significantly between schools, with Salem Elementary retaining 100% of its teachers, while Harlan Elementary has retained just 47%.
The district’s plans to consolidate schools on the former Iowa Wesleyan University campus were specifically scrutinized as the two shared concerns from parents about logistic and safety concerns, particularly regarding increased traffic congestion on North Broadway and the site’s proximity to railroad tracks.
“Broadway is an extremely busy street already,” Fedler noted “The repurpose of the dorms into the Section 42 low-income housing is just going to increase traffic.”
In addition to the already busy street, Fedler and Schinstock expressed concerns about the railroad tracks adding to congestion and emergency response times as emergency services are located on the other side of the railroad tracks.
The group urged the board to conduct a cost-benefit analysis on maintaining current elementary buildings rather than moving forward with the Iowa Wesleyan plan.
“We are committed for [years], you're eliminating the possibility of neighborhood schools, which is a big concern, without even seeing how our current transition is going,” Fedler emphasized.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
